


Involuntary

by AconiteWolfsbane



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Characters Mentioned, Gen, Pearl gag order theory, Pearl literally can't talk about Pink Diamond theory, Pink Diamond, bismuth - Freeform, pearl belonged to pink diamond theory, rose quartz - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-12
Updated: 2018-05-06
Packaged: 2019-04-21 21:53:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14294271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AconiteWolfsbane/pseuds/AconiteWolfsbane
Summary: A hard truth about Pearl comes out, to the shock of those who know her.





	1. Speechless

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this a few weeks ago, before the more recent Bomb episodes, but as they really just recapped what we already know, this still counts as canon-compliant.
> 
> Set after 'Gemcation'.
> 
> EDIT: WOW, I was waaayy off. Non-compliant after 'Can't Go Back'.  
> Although, I was right about her belonging to Pink Diamond. So a Pearl Point for me, yay!

" **So, Rose actually may not have killed Pink Diamond?** " Connie asked, glancing up at the portrait.

Steven shrugged. " **Yeah. There's a** **bunch** **of things that don't add up. Like how mom got so close to her without anyone shouting a warning. Or why any Sapphire** **s didn't warn anybody about what was going to happen.** "

Amethyst and Connie looked over at Garnet, who shrugged in response. " **Not my Diamond, so Sapphire wasn't really required to take notice of her future. Besides, our Future Vision was a bit... dodgy back then. Mainly because the rebellion should have ended with both Rose & Pearl being captured, treated as examples of the Diamonds strength, showing everyone what happens to Gems who go against them, and eventually shattered** **.** " She muttered as everyone's eyes widened. " **Instead, we fused, they escaped, and I joined the rebellion. It's hard to see the future when you're experiencing one that wasn't supposed to happen. Honestly, I didn't get full control back until after the war. Even now, some things just... sneak up on me.** " She moved her right hand vaguely.

Steven sighed and laid back. " **I just... I wish there was someone we could ask about this. About what happened, and how Pink Diamond actually died.** "

" **A witness.** " Connie nodded in agreement.

" **That'd** **be** **helpful** **.** " Amethyst added.

" **Well, actually... Pearl was there.** " Garnet admitted.

Steven sat up abruptly. " **Wait... Pearl saw it?!** "

" **Y** **es... But she's never spoken of it.** **She go-** **"**

Just then, the warp pad lit up with blue light, and Pearl appeared carrying a basket of clean laundry.

Steven jumped down and ran over to her. " **Pearl! Why didn't you tell us you saw Pink Diamond get shattered?** "   


Pearl stopped, one foot lifted from the ground. " **Uh,** **wel** **l** **, I...** "

" **Tell me what happened! Who shattered her?!** "

Pearl suddenly dropped the basket, Steven's shirts spilling out onto the floor as she covered her mouth with one hand, shaking her head furiously.

" **You have to tell me!** "

" **Steven! Leave her alone.** " Garnet ordered, walking over.

Steven glared angrily as he took a step back. " **No! Everyone's always keeping things from me, and I'm tired of it! I'm the one** **Homeworld** **wants to kill because of this! I need to know what happened!** "

Pearl used her other hand to pry the other away. " **I-I CAN'T!** "

She turned and darted back to the warp pad, disappearing in a stream of blue light.

Steven crossed his arms angrily. " **No-one ever tells me anything...** " he muttered, before turning and walking out the door, slamming the screen door in the process.

Connie glanced at Amethyst. " **Have they ever fought like this before?** " she asked nervously.

Amethyst nodded. " **Yeah. Once. When we didn't believe him about Peridot's little orb** **thingys** **using the warp system. Pearl got real nasty about it too, probably cause she's used to being right all the** **time."** She rolled her eyes. **"She** **apologised** **when we saw '** **em** **for** **ourselves** **though.** "

Connie looked over as Garnet sat beside her and sighed. " **Pearl has never spoken about what happened.** **Not to** **me, or Bismuth. I don't think she's even spoken to Rose about it. She always got so upset whenever anybody asked about what happened, that we just... stopped asking.** " 

Garnet briefly took her glasses off, and Connie could see the resignation in her three mismatched eyes. " **We've all just** **kinda** **accepted that we'd never know the full story.** "

Amethyst looked over. " **Hey... Wait... We** **ren't** **you trying to tell** **Steven** **what happened that day at some point?** "

Garnet shrugged. " **Partially. I got** **poofed** **during the battle, same as Bismuth, so Pearl and Rose were really the only ones who knew what went** **down after** **that. Rose told us she did it, and Pearl never said otherwise, so we just went with that.** "

Connie looked thoughtful. " **So.** **..** **if there's reasonable doubt that Rose actually did it, then maybe they're covering for someone else.** "

Garnet shrugged. " **Maybe. Like I said, we didn't have any reason to doubt Roses' version of events. It's really only recently that we've** **realised how much stuff she kept from us. I guess maybe she could have been lying for whatever reason... and Pearl went along with it."**

 

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**_A WEEK LATER..._ **

Steven and Connie looked away from the TV as the warp pad glowed. 

" **Oh... Pearl... Welcome back.** " Connie called as Steven looked away, frowning.

Pearl glanced up and sighed sadly. " **Thank you, Connie.** " She turned on the spot to enter the temple door.

" **Hey, Pearl? I know you just got back and all, but I was** **kinda** **hoping for a quick practice session.** " Connie stood up and walked down the stairs as Pearl turned back to her. " **School's been really stressful this week, and I have some aggression that I** ** _seriously_** **need to get rid of. Let's face it,** **holoPearl's** **_are_** **probably better targets than those catty girls from homeroom...** **"**

Pearl nodded. " **I understand. Steven, are you...** "

" **No.** " Steven lifted the remote and turned the TV's volume up, effectively blocking her out.

Pearl flinched and motioned to Connie. " **Okay, come on then.** "

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" **Okay** **, let's take a break.** " Pearl called, summoning a bottle of water from her gem.

" **Yes ma'am.** " Connie walked over and gladly accepted the bottle, downing half of it in one long swig.

She sat on a nearby piece of rubble and ran the bottle across the back of her neck, enjoying the cool feeling.

" **Feeling better?** " Pearl asked.

Connie nodded. " **Y** **eah. Is it bad that I'm imagining it's those girls instead?** "

Pearl shrugged. " **To be honest, Connie, I've done the same thing myself. I've even created holograms of Gems I didn't like, simply to stab them repeatedly until I felt better. As long as you don't do it to the real deal, you'll be fine.** "

Connie grinned. " **Speaking from experience?** "

Pearl blushed a faint blue dusting on her cheeks. " **I've... occasionally lost my temper at another Gem, and maybe face-stabbed them a little. They regenerated!** " she waved her hand dismissively as Connie laughed.

" **Pearl?** **Can I ask... Why can't you tell us anything? Was it too traumatic, or...** "

Pearl shook her head quickly, and suddenly sat down, trapping her hands underneath her.

" **It's not that, no... It's just... I literally,** **physically** **, can't say.** "

" **Huh? What do you mean, physically?** "

Pearl sighed, and opened her mouth to speak, only to freeze, trembling, as her hands tried to lift up.

" **I have... this... thing...** " She started hesitantly, as if choosing her words carefully. " **It stops me from talking about... certain things... regardless of how much I actually want to. It's horrible, and I hate it so damned much!** " She almost screamed in frustration, startling Connie.

" **So,** **this... thing, stops you from talking about** **Pink Diamond, and how she died?** "

Pearl nodded, trembling. " **Yes. I can't even say her name, and I'm definitely not supposed to be telling anyone that I even have a gag order.** " Her hands suddenly jerked up and slammed over her mouth with such force that she almost toppled backwards.

Connie's eyebrows lift in shock. " **Gag or** **der?** "

Pearl lifted her right foot up and pressed it against her crossed wrists, temporarily lifting her hands away from her mouth. " **Because it activates, and that happens.** "

Connie looked horrified. " **You... you can't stop that from happening, can you?** "

Pearl took several, albeit unnecessary, calming breaths, and her arms slowly loosened. She let her foot drop back down and sighed deeply. " **No. It's completely** **involuntary** **. The only way to stop it is prevention. Avoid talking about... forbidden topics. Walking away from all conversations that seem to be going in that direction. It's what I've been doing for more than 5000 years."**

Connie suddenly gave Pearl a hug. " **Holy crap, that's terrible!** "

Pearl looked startled for a moment, then shrugged. " **Well, there's not much I can't really do about... my situation. To be honest, I've had plenty of time to get used to it. It's just... recent events have caused that particular subject to be brought up more than I'd like.** " She sighed. " **The truth is... I want to talk about it. I've always wanted to...** " Her right hand slapped itself across her mouth again, and Pearl muttered angrily behind it.

Connie smirked and pulled away from the hug. " **Well, that word is** **going** **to be filed away for future use.** "

Pearl blushed and pried her hand away again. " **So long as your parents don’t find out who you learned it from... And you don't repeat it in front of Steven.** "

Connie nodded. " **Deal.** " She glanced back at Pearl who was breathing heavily in an attempt to calm herself. " **Hey Pearl?** "

Pearl's eyes shifted back towards the young girl. " **Yes, Connie?** "

" **Do you... want me to tell the others about this? I mean, they don't seem to know yet, and the only way they'll understand why they can't ask you about this is if they know** ** _why_** **you can't tell them anything...** "

Pearl sighed and nodded. " **Yes. Okay. Someone has to tell them, and having to be handcuffed to a post to have a conversation isn't exactly how I want to end my day...** "

Connie nodded. " **Yeah. Plus, where'd we even get handcuffs?"**

Pearl glanced over at her and smirked. " **Y** **ou'd be surprised what's floating around inside my gem, kiddo.** " She sniggered at Connie's horrified expression. 

" ** _What?!_** "

" **Hey, I'm thousands of years old, Connie. You don't know what I've done.** "

Connie stood up and grabbed the sword. " **Okay, I'm** **gonna** **need a bunch of** **holoPearls** **to slash now.** " 

She moved towards the centre of the arena, shaking her head. "I **don't even** ** _want_** **to know what she's done...** " she muttered as Pearl laughed.

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" **And** **so,** **you see, that's basically it. She** ** _literally_** **can't tell us about what happened with Pink Diamond, or who shattered her, or anything like that. She's not even supposed to tell anybody about this, or her hands just, move by themselves to** **silence** **her.** " Connie finished.

Pearl blushed and looked away as the others looked horrified, Amethyst with her hand across her own mouth in shock. Garnet's fists repeatedly clenched with anger as Steven burst into tears and hugged Pearl.

" **I'm so sorry I yelled at you!** " he cried, sobbing into her side. 

Pearl quickly wrapped her arms around him and rubbed his back in comfort. " **It's okay, Steven. I would be angry too, if I knew someone was withholding information that affected me. The Diamonds likely want to execute you, in their misguided belief that you're Rose, and it** ** _kills_** **me that I can't even tell you why, or what happened that day...** "

As Amethyst joined Steven in hugging Pearl, Garnet placed a hand on Pearl's shoulder. " **Does it... hurt you, in any way?** " she hesitantly asked. 

Pearl shook her head. " **No. Well, I've slapped myself senseless a few times, and broke my own nose on occasion, but no. It's only supposed to hurt if we insist on talking regardless. That's when-** " A hand rose up and loudly slapped down across her mouth. Pearl frowned and sighed through her fingers. " **Nevermind** **...** " she muttered darkly, frustration burning in her eyes.

Garnet reached over and gently helped her pry her hand away, holding it gently as Pearl sighed " **Thank you, Garnet.** "

" **I'd say don't mention it, but that'd probably be in poor taste.** "

Pearl rolled her eyes. " **Yes, quite.** "

" **By the way, I forgot to ask earlier, but... Who did this to you? And,** **wh** **-** " Connie's eyes widened as Pearl's hand once again clamped over her mouth. " **Oh. You can't say that either, huh...** "

Pearl groaned slightly and shifted her eyes towards the wall.

" **Man,** **Imma** **find '** **em** **, and totally wail on '** **em** **!** " Amethyst grunted, punching one hand with the other.

Pearl briefly glanced back at her, her eyes crinkling in a smile, and looked back to the wall.

Garnet looked at her face and saw the pain in her eyes.

" **Pearl...** "

The lithe Gem glanced back, and Garnet watched her eyes flicker back-and-forwards between her and the wall behind her. Garnet turned, curious, and froze at the sight of the familiar portrait.

" **No...** "


	2. Accidents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because a few people have asked for a continuation of this, I decided to write out my theory on what happened.
> 
> This'll probably be disproved by canon pretty soon, so I decided to post it sooner rather than later.
> 
> Canon-compliant up until 'Letters to Lars'.

**_Earth_ ** **_._ **  

 **_South-east Asia._ **  

 **_5XXX years ago._ **  

 

" **Okay, it should be just over this last ridge...** " 

" **Rose, I really wish you'd** **reconsider this...** " Pearl reached out and grabbed one of her companions' long curly pink locks of hair, tugging on it to both slow the large Gem down and to hold herself up on the loose gravelly slope. 

Rose half-turned and offered a large hand, which Pearl gratefully took. " **I know. You've told me. Multiple times, actually.** " she grinned as a light blue blush tinted the thinner Gem's cheeks. 

" **Well, in all fairness, this is insane!** " Pearl huffed, taking her hand back and crossing her arms. " **I mean, you know that it is** ** _highly likely_** **that we are going to die today, right?** " 

Rose shook her head. " **No, I don't. Garnet might though.** " She poked a thumb back towards the rest of their small group as they paused nearby. 

The large Gem with pink and blue hair shrugged. " **I** **dunno** **... Future Vision's still a bit... random...** " she said, her three mismatched eyes filled with uncertainty. 

Pearl frowned and sighed. " **Exactly my point. We have no idea what we're going into. Pink's entire force could be lying in wait for** **us or** **even surrounding us as we speak.** " The small group looked around nervously at that. " **And the only thing we have to believe that we have safe** **passage** **is the word of a Diamond. A** ** _Diamond_** **, Rose. They have** **a nasty** **tendency** **to change their bloody minds and shatter even loyal Gems on a whim. We'd be lucky to last even a fraction of a rotation in her sight...** " 

A larger Gem with rainbow coloured hair spoke up. " **Rose?** **She has a point,** **ya** **know. Let's face it, none of us are exactly geniuses. Pearly here can outsmart anybody. Blindfolded. With a hand tied behind her back.** "  

" **Aww** **, thank you Bismuth.** " Pearl grinned at this as Garnet chuckled. 

" **So,** " Bismuth continued. " **If Pearl says it's a trap, then it's probably a trap.** " 

Rose sighed. " **Yes, okay. It probably** ** _is_** **a trap, we're all going to be shattered, and the Earth is doomed. But... If there's even a chance of ending this war without further loss of both Gems and the native life, I want to at least take that chance.** " She turned and looked towards the top of the ridge. " **If any of you want to stay here and wait for me, you can. But if you see me running, don't hesitant to get out of here.** " 

Pearl frowned. " **Oh, hell no! I let you out of my sight for a second, you start wrestling elephants! So, there is** ** _no way_** **that I am letting you go out there alone. You'll probably challenge her to arm wrestle for the planet if I'm not there to talk some sense into you.** " She muttered as she walked forwards to look over the ridge, ignoring the sound as Garnet and Bismuth sniggered.  

" **Hey! I only did that** **onc** **... twice. I did that twice.** " Rose pouted, as her face flushed pink. 

" **And** **how many gorillas?** " Bismuth smirked. 

Rose smiled. " **About half-a-dozen... But** **you** **had fun wrestling with them too, Bismuth!** " she added triumphantly.  

 

Pearl returned from the top of the ridge. " **Okay, there seems to only be a small force with her, but there's more than enough terrain to hide a few squads for a decent ambush.** " She glanced up at Rose. " **Next time, Rose,** ** _if there is a next time..._** " she added with a mutter. " ** _You_** **should pick the parley location. Someplace completely flat and barren. Maybe with sand, so I can provide cover if needed.** " 

" **I'll keep that in mind.** " Rose nodded and turned towards their small force. " **Okay. Snowflake, Crazy Lace.** " 

The smallest members of the group stood at attention. " **Yes** **Rose** **?** " 

" **Stay close, stay smart. If the worse happens, Pearl will never let us hear the end of it,** " she grinned towards Pearl, who rolled her eyes. " **But move quickly** **and if you need to bail out, go. Try** **to make it back to the warp pad.** " 

They saluted. " **Understood.** " Snowflake nodded. 

" **Garnet, Bismuth.** " 

" **Yeah** **Rose** **?** " Bismuth cracked her knuckles, ready to fight. 

" **Stay on guard, and fight like hell.** " 

Bismuth and Garnet grinned and shared a fist-bump. " **You can count on us!** " 

Rose turned to Pearl. " **And as for you...** " 

Pearl rolled her blue eyes. " **Try not to be so crazy?** " 

Rose tapped Pearl's pointy nose affectionately. " **Just this once. It'd be nice.** " 

" **I give no promises or** **guarantees** **.** " Pearl winked, drawing a sword and running her thumb along the edge as she inspected it. 

 

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Pink Diamond stood up behind the veil of her palanquin. " **Then perish!** " she shouted, her palanquin suddenly growing spindly legs and moving away. 

The small group of rebels tensed as the soldiers surrounding them summoned their weapons. From the bushes and behind boulders, more Gems sprung out, grinning in anticipation for the upcoming battle. 

Rose sighed. " **Okay. Let's get this over with. Say it.** " 

" **I told you so.** " Pearl grinned as she drew her swords. 

" **Yes.** **Yes,** **you did.** " 

 

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" **ARGH!** " Snowflake screamed as a sword impaled her, her form dissipating in a flash of light.  

" **Snowy!** " Crazy Lace quickly snatched up her Gem, bubbling it and sending it back to base seconds before she too fell. 

Bismuth and Garnet fought back to back. Garnet briefly unfused, surprising her opponent before Sapphire slammed her fist onto her face, knocking her backwards to trip over Ruby, who was quick to slam both fists down around the larger warrior's gem, separating it from her form. Sapphire swiftly reached out and bubbled it. 

" **Stars, you're beautiful.** " Ruby muttered, staring at Sapphire as the bubble warped away. 

Sapphire quickly grabbed the front of Ruby's top, pulling her closer. " **Look who's talking.** " she growled, kissing her aggressively before they fused together in a flash of light.  

Bismuth rolled her eyes at her opponent as they wrestled. " **They're so adorable, it's almost sickening.** " she tilted her head towards the fusion as she blinked her three eyes. 

The Citrine grimaced. " **They're disgusting...** " 

Garnet grinned and summoned her gauntlets, punching the unfortunate Citrine clear across the field. " **Oh, shut up.** " 

They both quickly glanced around to check the status of their friends. 

 

Pearl was a whirling dervish of blades and snark. A manic grin smeared across her face, she dodged and pirouetted around the enemy forces, shifting herself a split second before their weapons fell towards her.  

Stab. Bubble. Insult. Stab. Bubble. Slash. Bubble.  

She darted briefly over to where Crazy Lace's Gem lay half-buried in dust and, holding a Gem at bay with a twinned clashing of swords, she quickly sent their friend back to base before burying a sword in her opponents' face, sending her away shortly after. 

 

Rose was alternating between sword and shield, her hair twisting in the wind. A large Moss Agate stepped before her. Rose deftly deflected her blow with the shield before lifting it up and slashing from underneath with her sword, catching and bubbling the other Gem before she hit the ground. 

 

Satisfied that they weren't alone in this, Bismuth and Garnet continued fighting. 

 

 

An arrow struck down, hitting Bismuths' left temple. She dissipated with a groan, and Garnet swiftly bubbled her and sent her back. But the distraction cost her too, as a large flail came whipping down from above, crushing her beneath its weight. 

As Ruby and Sapphire's gems clattered to the ground, Pearl skidded in and, dropping a sword, swept both gems up in her hand, bubbling them together safely. " **Right.** " she growled, reclaiming her dropped sword. " **I** ** _knew_** **this was a bad idea.** " 

 

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Pearl darted in and out of the fray, her quick, thin form ideal for dodging. Pink Diamond's forces had been decimated, but the remaining two rebels were still severely outnumbered. Finding the forces gathered around Rose too thick even for her to get through, Pearl decided to assault the higher ground, heading towards Pink Diamonds' palanquin. 

With a shock, Pearl noticed that Pink Diamonds' Pearl had been ordered out of the palanquin and was apparently reporting on the battle. Unbeknownst to her, a Chalcedony who had been swinging wildly during the battle saw only a pearl on a battlefield, a rather unusual sight at the best of times, and acted instinctively, hurling her throwing axe towards the presumed rebel. As Pearl shouted a warning, she could only watch as the other was shattered. 

Pearl whirled and ran towards the Chalcedony. " **Wrong pearl, you bloody fool!** " she screamed, driving her swords into each of the larger Gems' eye sockets. 

Pink Diamonds' palanquin lifted up yet again and ran away a short distance, settling itself down on the edge of the field.  

A large pink ball of spikes erupted from the large group of Homeworld loyalists, as Pearl darted around the edges of the battle. Pausing, she took advantage of the distraction Rose had unwittingly provided to carefully gather the pieces of the fallen pearl. " **Sorry...** " Pearl whispered as she bubbled them, deciding to store them within her own gem rather than send them away. 

After knocking a Ruby over and into the bushes in a flash of light, the ball of spikes came to a rest. The ball opened from above, peeling away as Rose emerged, throwing herself back into the battle with determination. 

 

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Finally, the Homeworld loyalists' forces had thinned. Rose and Pearl were panting unnecessary breaths, exhaustion slowing their movements. Not once had either been given a chance to escape the battlefield, and neither would willingly leave without the other. 

Suddenly, the veil was pulled aside, and Pink Diamond stepped out of the palanquin, her own weapon flashing as she summoned it. " **Fine. I'll take care of you myself.** " 

Rose prepared herself, summoning a fresh shield with effort but she was forced backwards by the sheer force of the undersized Diamonds' blow. Tripping over a dropped weapon, Rose fell backwards, the shield disappearing with a flash of light from her exhaustion. 

" **Well, well, well.** " Pink laughed, the urge to gloat too strong. " **The** **mighty** **rebel leader, Rose Quartz, is completely at my mercy. Except,** " she paused, her eyes narrowing. " **I don't h** **ave** **any.** " 

 

Pearl slashed her sword across a Petalites' throat, the last left standing on the field, catching and bubbling her gem before glancing back towards Rose. " **Oh no...** " she gasped as she started to run. 

 

As Pink Diamond raised her weapon, Rose closed her eyes and waited for the blow. " **I'm sorry, Pearl...** " she whispered. 

With a flash of light, oblivion... failed to come. Rose experimentally opened one eye, and then the other as she gasped in shock. 

 

Pearl stood in front of her, swords on the ground beside her, a shining white spear in her hands. The point was ever so slightly embedded in Pink Diamonds' gem.  

Silence swept across the battlefield. Rose started to stand, hoping to fix this. 

Pearl opened her eyes and found herself staring up into Pink Diamonds' face. It contorted through rage, shock, pain and fear as a small pink splinter fell away. Pearl dropped the spear, stunned, and stepped back, tripping and almost falling into Rose's arms as Pinks' weapon dropped beside them. 

In the bushes, a flash of light. A Ruby reformed and stepped out of the bushes, eager to re-join the battle, but paused in shock at the scene before her. 

Rose Quartz, sword in hand. Pink Diamond, hand over her gem and trembling. Suddenly, with a loud shriek of pain and a flash of the brightest light, Pink Diamond burst into dozens of small pink shards, falling at Rose's feet. 

Ruby 1F4 Cut 4ND dropped her chisel knife in shock and horror. " **No... It can't be...** " Around them, other Gems started to reform in bursts of light. They stared, confused at the scene in front of them. 4ND screamed. " **SHE SHATTERED PINK DIAMOND! GET HER!** " as she summoned a new weapon and ran towards them, anger clouding her mind. 

Rose startled and looked around as the other Gems looked down towards the scattered pink shards and back towards her with anger. " **W-WAIT!** " she stammered as they begin summoning their weapons. 

 

Rose stepped back, glancing down at the shards sadly. As angry screams drew near, she turned and ran, slinging a stunned Pearl over her shoulder. 

 

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Rose sat down with a heavy sigh, cradling Pearl in her arms.  

" **Nononononononononono** **...** " Pearl muttered, her eyes glassy. 

Rose hung her head. " **I don't understand...** " 

" **I shattered a Diamond... How can I shatter a Diamond?! I'm a damned pearl!? Pearls don't shatter Diamonds. We** ** _get_** **shattered by Diamonds.** " Pearl continued muttering, trailing off. 

Rose started to stroke the thin Gem's hair. " **I have no idea...** " 

Pearl suddenly stood and started pacing, her hands wringing in distress. " **She must have had some sort of... internal defect. And my strike landed at exactly the right spot to trigger the** **failure** **. That's the only possible way.** " She stopped and hyperventilated, drawing in useless breathes to calm herself. " **Oh.** **My** **. Stars. I shattered a Diamond.** " Pearl shuddered before she laid down and curled up on the ground, hugging her knees. " **I didn't mean to do that...** " 

Rose rubbed her hands over her face and groaned. " **Where'd you even get that spear from, anyhow?!** " 

Pearl didn't answer. Instead, she reached up towards her forehead and with a flash of light from her gem, drew another spear out, dropping it beside her. 

Rose gaped. " **You... You summoned it?! You summoned your weapon?!** " 

Pearl nodded slowly.  

" **Talk about timing...** " Rose muttered as she reached over and picked the spear up, examining it.  

 

Suddenly, Pearl sat up, holding her head. She quickly summoned a communications device she had stored. " **There's an incoming message.** " 

 **_To Repeat: It is with sadness that we report that earlier this rotation, Pink Diamond was ambushed and murdered on a peaceful mission by none other than the_ ** **_treacherous_ ** **_Rose Quartz. She is to be captured on sight. A reward of 5 new pearls is being offered to any Gem that captures the traitor and brings her in_ ** **_for_ ** **_trial and execution._ **  

 

Pearl and Rose stared as the device went silent. 

" **Whoa... I'm worth five new pearls now? Nice...** " she grinned. 

Pearl stood up. " **Rose, this isn't funny. They think you did it!** " 

Rose shrugged. " **I** **dunno** **. The idea of you turning me in and getting five pearls is** **kinda** **funny. Think about it: A pearl who owns pearls.** " 

Pearl glared down at her, and Rose raised her hands in surrender. " **Okay, not that funny. Sorry.** " 

Pearl groaned and started pacing again. " **Ugh, what a complete and** **utter** **mess!** **I knew** **this parlay was a terrible idea from the very beginning! Now Pink Diamond is nothing but shards,** **Homeworld's** **baying for your dust, and you know some of the other Crystal Gems are still loyal to their diamonds. The moment we step back into base camp, they're going to attack us.** " She rubbed her gem in frustration. " **I might as well just go and turn myself in. Show them the hologram and be done with it.** " 

Rose stood up and grabbed Pearl. " **Oh, no you don't. Forget it Pearl. I'm fine with the blame, I'm not okay with losing you.** " She held her closer. " **Besides, you're enough of a target. They still think you're an easy win, simply because you're a pearl. If anybody else learns the truth, every battle will be about every Crystal Gem fighting to protect you. You'd have to stay behind, and I** ** _know_** **you'd** **resent** **that. It's better this way.** " 

Pearl shook her head and tried to pull away. " **That's utterly ridiculous, Rose. I'm still going to be a target, simply because I was there, and I have the only surviving holographic memory of what happened. They _need_ me to prove your guilt. But they honestly don't need proof to shatter you. You're already a traitor.** " 

Rose sighed. " **Pearl, just let me do this for you, okay?** " 

" **No.** " Pearl suddenly bit down on Roses' wrist, who released her with a yelp. " **I can take** **responsibility** **for my own mistakes, I don't** ** _need_** **protection anymore.** " She turned and darted away. 

" **Pearl, stop!** " Rose called out, shaking her hand out and racing after her. " **I... I FORBID YOU FROM TALKING ABOUT THIS DAY!** " 

 

Pearl froze mid-step, one leg raised from the ground. 

Rose paused and circled around the decidedly dangerous gem, stopping in front of her. She noted with confusion Pearl's eyes were glossed over, numbers darting across a field of static. " **Pearl?** " Rose asked tentatively. 

Pearls' eyes slowly faded back to blue, and she shook her head slightly to clear it. Taking a step back, she stared at Rose. " **What did you do?!** " 

Rose shook her head. " **I-I don't know.** **Your** **eyes** **went all... static, and...** " 

Pearl suddenly reached out and slapped her. " **You stupid, bloody quartz!** " 

 

Rose stepped back, holding her cheek and stared at the clearly furious Pearl. 

" **You... You put a damned gag order on me! Do you have any idea how bad that is?! What that even feels like?! What it's like to lose control over your own form?! And for what?! To stop me from talking about something I d-** " Pearl's right hand suddenly slapped itself across her mouth, causing her to stumble back. 

Rose stepped forwards in concern, but Pearl shot her a glare over her hand as she started to pry it away. 

" **It's working. Are you** **quite** **happy now?** " 

Rose shook her head and backed away as Pearl advanced. 

" **Undo it.** " Pearl growled, glaring at Rose. " **Undo it, now. Say the words to cancel this.** " 

Rose shook her head. " **I-I don't know them! Tell me what they are, and I'll say them!** " 

Pearl's eyes widened. " **You-I-… PEARL'S AREN'T ALLOWED TO SAY THEM! WE'RE NOT ALLOWED TO CANCEL THE ORDER** **OURSELVES OR** **TELL OTHERS HOW TO DO IT!** " She stepped back and rubbed her eyelids. " **Haven't you even read the blasted Owner's Manual?!** " 

Rose paused. " **Err... Wait, you have a manual?** " 

Pearl froze and stared back at Rose. " **I'm going to dissipate you now. I'll let you reform eventually. Trust me when I say that it will hurt. But it'll make me feel so fucking good!** " she growled as she summoned a new spear. 

 

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Rose flinched and looked around after she reformed. To her surprise, she was in her quarters at the base. Bismuth, Ruby and Sapphire were looking at her curiously. " **Oh. Uh... Hi.** " 

Bismuth grinned and came over, thumping Rose on the back. " **Hey, there's the Diamond-Killer now!** " She grinned. 

Rose startled and flinched again. " **Bismuth, this is not a good thing.** " She looked around nervously. " **Uh, where's Pearl?** " 

Ruby shrugged. " **Who knows?** " 

" **Pearl returned a couple of days after the battle. She apparently spent some time sorting through the bubbled Gems to find us, as well as Snowflake and Crazy Lace, before she tossed you in the corner and left. We all regenerated at about the same time. That was several months ago. She has not returned.** " Sapphire summarised in her usual short manner. 

" **Oh.** " Rose sighed, sitting down. " **D-did she say** **anything** **to anyone?** " 

Bismuth shook her head. " **Not to us. Some of the others had already heard about Pink Diamond, and they attacked her when she returned. Apparently, she slashed them all pretty quickly. They're up there somewhere...** " she pointed up to the bubbles above their heads. 

 

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 **_3 years later..._ **  

Ruby and Sapphire sat giggling in a corner. A flash of blue light a short distance away caught their attention, and they gasped as Pearl appeared on the warp pad below them. 

 

Bismuth looked over as the door to the forge slid open.  

" **Hey** **, Pearl's back.** " Ruby hissed as she darted in beside Sapphire. 

 

" **Hey, Pearly!** " Bismuth greeted her warmly. 

Pearl sighed. " **Bismuth. Ruby. Sapphire. How's Garnet?** " 

Ruby smirked. " **She learned a new trick. She can make lightning**!" she added excitedly, jiggling from one foot to the other. 

" **We're both quite happy about that.** " Sapphire added, a smile tweaking her lips. 

Pearl smiled. " **I can imagine. I'm looking forward to seeing that.** " 

" **So.** **..** **Where you been?** " Bismuth said as she thrust a newly forged piece of metal into the quenching oil. 

Pearl shrugged. " **Around. Sabotaged a few things... blew some supply** **ships up...** " 

" **Sounds like fun.** " Bismuth nodded as she started to grinding a sharp edge onto the weapon. 

Pearl nodded. " **Yes. However, I seem to have... misplaced, my swords. I was wondering...** " 

Bismuth chuckled. " **Yeah, Rose mentioned that** **ya** **had to leave '** **em** **behind. I've already made replacements. I'll** **get '** **em** **for** **ya** **in a moment.** " 

Pearl's face darkened. " **Did... Did Rose say anything else?** "  

Ruby shook her head. " **Nah. We were actually hoping we** **could** **ask you what happened that day...** " 

 

The three Gems jumped as Pearl's hand slapped over her mouth. She shook her head furiously. " **No...** " She whispered through her fingers. " **I'm sorry... I can't...** " 

Ruby and Sapphire glanced at each other. " **Oh. Okay.** " 

" **That's okay, Pearl. If there's a reason you don't want to talk about it, that's okay.** " Sapphire patted Pearls other hand in comfort. 

Pearl shuddered and sighed as her hand slowly loosened and dropped from her face. " **I wish I could...** " 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've... kinda written a little something extra, set before the war as a prequel of sorts.  
> It's based on the 'Pearl belonged to Pink Diamond' theory.  
> If anyone's interested in reading that, let me know in the comments.  
> Also, let me know if you'd prefer it as part 3 of this story, or to be posted separately. Cause I aint sure...  
> It'll take a while to post though, as I need time for editing and small rewrites.


	3. Reject

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pearl backstory.
> 
> My thoughts on the whole 'Pearl belong to a Diamond, but which one' debate.
> 
> Set before the war, and what she learns here might have possibly led to Roses' decision to rebel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this to sorta explain something I didn't put in the previous chapter that may have been slightly confusing.  
> Namely, Pearl doesn't feel any remorse over (accidentally) shattering Pink Diamond. Nope. None whatsoever.  
> Her initial reaction is basically... wtf.
> 
> At first, she's shocked that she, a mere Pearl, was able to shatter a Diamond at all. She then tries to rationalise it, hence her theorising about Pink possibly having an internal defect. Before she goes right back into "How did this even happen, it shouldn't have been possible, holy shitbricks..."
> 
> Her only reason for remorse over what happened is that Rose was falsely accused of the murder.  
> She's fully aware of Roses' position on shattering anyone, even for the Earth, and the idea that Rose is being blamed for such a crime that Pearl herself committed is what upsets her the most.  
> Enough so that Pearl snaps out of her initial shock about what happened.
> 
> And than of course, anger, that Rose would first place the gag order on her, and then fury that it was an accident, and Rose can't undo it.  
> Plus the fact that if Rose had even the slightest bit of sense, she would have immediately asked for the manual, gone through to find the correct phrase to cancel the order, and done so. "Wait... You have a manual? Can I see it? Maybe I can fix this, please..." But, Rose is massively dense.
> 
>  
> 
> Anyway, what's being explained here is why Pearl doesn't care that Pink is dead, and why she's secretly glad that she got to be the one to off the oversized pink brat...
> 
>  
> 
> I hope you enjoy this. I have one more chapter already written, which will be much cuter.

**_Earth._ **  

 **_Europe._ **  

 **_6XXX Years Ago._ **  

 

Rose Quartz looked over at her shorter companion with a smile. Pearl was lying stretched out on the ground, enjoying the cool feeling of the light rain falling on her gem. " **This is probably the most relaxed that I've ever seen you...** " 

Pearl opened one eye to glance over. " **That seems likely.** " 

Rose giggled. " **I still remember when you could barely stand anywhere near me and you were always so nervous and twitchy. It's nice to see that you've finally stopped acting like I'm** **gonna** **shatter you any second, or worse...** " 

Pearl turned her head and looked at her. " **Rose, I've seen you fall off a log into a swamp, and then dance around with a** **lilypad** **on your head before kissing a frog.** ** _Clearly_** **,** **you are not a threat to anything. Except, perhaps, the dubious virtue of an** **amphibian** **.** " 

" **Hey, that frog was an excellent dancer. It deserved a kiss.** " Rose held her stare for a brief moment before the pair burst out laughing. 

 

As the rain passed, the two Gems stood and continued on their interrupted search for new human tribes to study. Pearl glanced over and noticed Rose was nervously twisting a lock of bright pink hair around a finger. " **Rose, is... is there something wrong?** " 

Rose startled. " **Oh, um. No. Uh, well...** " she sighed. " **Pearl, I've** **been** **wanting to ask you** **something** **for, well, almost as long as I've known you actually. But it's probably a little... personal, and I wasn't sure if you'd be** **comfortable** **about it, so...** " she shrugged. 

Pearl paused and glanced around nervously. " **Oh. Well, I supposed you could ask. Just how personal is it?** " 

Rose made an uncertain noise in the back of her throat. " **To be honest, I'm not sure. But you don't have to answer if you don't want to. You can just, walk away, you know?** " 

" **Okay.** " Pearl nodded. 

The larger Gem sighed deeply. " **The day we met. Why... Why did she call you that?** " 

Pearl tilted her head, confused. " **Who called me what?** " 

" **Pink Diamond called you a... reject... Why?** " 

 

Pearl froze, a pained grimace on her face. 

Rose noticed and gasped. " **I'm sorry! I didn't mean to upset you! I just... can't figure out why anyone would call you that! I had to go and open my big mouth!** " she moaned. 

Pearl sighed and rubbed her face, massaging the edge of her gem with her fingertips. " **It's... okay, Rose. I'm not angry at you. I just... was not expecting to hear that word again. You were quite correct about it being... personal...** " 

Rose watched as Pearl quietly started pacing. " **Are you... okay?** " 

" **Yes.** " Pearl nodded. " **I just need a** **moment** **, if that's okay.** " 

" **Of course!** " Rose nodded, sitting down immediately, despite the wet grass. 

After a few minutes, Pearl stopped and sighed. " **Okay. I-I'll tell you.** " 

 

" **Like any other pearl, I was commissioned to be made. However, unlike most, I was made for... let's say, bigger things.** " 

" **Bigger things**?" 

" **The Diamonds.** " 

" **Ha! I get it! Bigger. Good one.** " 

" **Yes, quite.** " Pearl rolled her eyes. " **I was commissioned by none other than White Diamond herself.** " 

Rose startled. " **Whoa. White Diamond?! Wait... but...** " 

Pearl nodded. " **Yes. As a gift for Pink Diamond.** **However** **...** " she sighed. " **There was a... misunderstanding...** " 

 

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 **_Homeworld_** ** _._ **  

 **_White Diamond's Court._ **  

 **_????? Years Ago._ **  

 

Pink Diamond watched with glee as the form took shape. With a soft sigh, the new Pearl reformed before her, and dropped into the Diamond salute. " **Greetings, my Diamond.** " 

White Diamond slammed a hand down onto the arm of her throne, causing Pink Diamond to pause mid-squeal and the two pearls to flinch. " **What is the meaning of this?!** " she demanded. 

" **Huh?** " Pink Diamond asked. 

" **This pearl is not what I ordered!** **Explain** **yourself!** " 

Pearl flinched and bowed. " **My apologies. I shall check my database immediately.** " 

Pink Diamond crossed her arms, frustrated. " **I don't get what the big deal is...** " 

Pearl straightened and saluted, hands cupped around the white diamond displayed on her chest. " **My Diamonds, I have finished. It seems that has been a... misunderstanding of sorts? A supervisor Agate saw only White Diamonds'** ** _lustrous_** **name upon the commission form, and assumed that the new pearl, that is myself, was intended for you. It appears that she failed to examine the rest of the form, and instead used your usual specifications instead of the intended ones. I can only give my apologies...** " 

Pink Diamond huffed. " **Oh, what does it matter anyway? I** ** _want_** **a pearl! Who** ** _really_** **cares if it's the wrong colour or whatever! And a pearl made for** ** _you_** **just** ** _has_** **to be great** **!** " She looked up at White Diamond. " **I want to keep her!** " 

White Diamond sighed. " **It's the appearance of it that matters... but fine. Pearl,** **you** **belong to Pink Diamond, understand?** " 

Pearl nodded, bowing deeply and gracefully. " **It shall be an honour to serve a Diamond of such** **a magnificently** **rare colour.** " she rolled her eyes, unseen by those above her. As she straightened, she adjusted her form so that the diamond changed to a bright pink colour. 

Pink squealed. " **Thank you, White! Come on, Pearl!** " 

As Pearl followed her new owner out of the door, she heard White Diamond mutter. " **Such negligence cannot be allowed. Pearl, I want that Agate shattered before the end of this rotation.** " 

" **Yes, my Diamond.** " 

 

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" **Oh, that was** **wonderful** **of her.** " 

" **Yes, I thought so too. I was fully expecting to be shattered once I'd realised that I wasn't what they were expecting. Of course, it didn't last...** " 

 

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" **Pearl! Get** **over** **here, now!** " 

Pearl scrambled over, head bowed, and immediately dropped to one knee. 

" **I've been given my very first colony! Isn't that incredible?!** " 

Pearl nodded. " **It's wonderful,** **my Diamond.** " 

Pink backhanded her, sending her flying across the room. " **Did I give you permission to speak?!** " 

Pearl lifted herself onto her knees and shook her head. She could only salute and bow in remorse. 

" **Come! I have** **preparations** **to make!** " 

 

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" **That's terrible!** " 

Pearl shrugged. " **She got annoyed, because I made her feel... small. I had to kneel at** **all** **times, unless I** **was actually** **required to walk.** **Sometimes** **, I was ordered to walk only on my knees, just so she could** **feel** **taller.** **On** **top of that... I wasn't allowed to talk, unless specifically ordered to. She took great pleasure in asking me a question, and punishing me if I responded with any noise...** " 

" **That explains why you were always so scared and silent, and refuse to stand if I stopped moving... back when we first met, I mean.** " 

" **I was so confused that you didn't try to hurt me in any way. Plus, you allowed me to speak my mind, and even** **criticise** **your actions if** **necessary** **. You are a strange Gem, Rose Quartz.** " she smiled fondly. 

" **Yeah, I know.** " Rose smirked. 

Pearl sighed. " **Where was I? Oh, yes.** " 

 

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 **_Earth._ **  

 **_Moon Base._ **  

 **_7XXX Years Ago._ **  

 

" **Of course, it's going to look so drab compared to myself, but I suppose it's better than this thing...** " she pointed her thumb back over her shoulder towards Pearl, kneeling behind her. " **I can't wait until it arrives!** " 

" **Oh, of course, my Diamond.** " The Morganite simpered on the video screen. " **What are you going to do with the old one, if I may be so bold to ask?** " 

Pink Diamond yawned. " **Toss it into space and see how long it lasts, give it to some** **Jaspers,** **I haven't made my mind up yet. Now, about that supply drop for the Prime Kindergarten...** " 

 

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Rose gasped. " **She didn't?!** " 

Pearl nodded sadly. " **Yes. I was going to be replaced at any moment. To be fair, I was ready to die.** " she added sadly. " **I-I didn't want to live like that anymore...** " 

" **I'm suddenly ashamed to call her my Diamond...** " Rose shook her head slowly. 

Pearl shrugged. " **If I may be perfectly honest?** " 

" **Yes, of course.** " 

" **I despise her with every layer of my being. She only ever did one truly kind thing to me.** " 

Rose leaned forward. " **What was that?** " 

" **She gave me to you.** " Pearl said with a smile. 

 

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" **You requested my presence, my Diamond?** " Rose saluted, bowing to hide the shock on her face as she saw her undersized diamond for the first time.  

" **Ah, there you are!** " Pink huffed. " **Yes, I did. This planet is covered in,** ** _ugh_** **...** ** _biological_** **life. You seem to be the most aware of it. Therefore, I'm ordering you to carry out a study, see if these** ** _disgusting_** **creatures could be of any use to us. Perhaps as slave labour, yes?** " 

Rose stammered. " **My Diamond, they are rather easily damaged, and...** " 

" **Whatever.** " Pink Diamond waved a hand dismissively. " **See that it's done. Pearl has your orders.** " 

Pearl stood and stepped forward to hand Rose a data file, stepping back just as silently. 

" **Thank you.** " Rose nodded at her with a smile.  

Pearl paused briefly and glanced at her, clearly confused at the display of kindness. 

Before Rose could question the look, Pearl was shoved aside roughly as Pink returned to her throne. " **That is all.** " 

Rose tucked the file under one arm in order to bow and salute again. " **My Diamond, I shall do my best.** " 

 

Rose made it as far as the door and paused. She glanced back at Pearl and tapped her fingers against the data file briefly in thought before she sighed. " **My Diamond?** " she asked, turning around. 

" **Yes? What is it?** " 

Rose stepped forwards and bowed. " **It has occurred to me that this study will require many forms and reports to be filled out. As a quartz, I must admit such matters are not amongst my strengths. I'm afraid that I may require an assistant to carry out such an immense task to the high standards for one as** **lustrous** **as yourself.** " 

Pink Diamond frowned. " **Ugh, such a bother. Fine. Take this little reject. I have a new one coming soon anyway.** " she grabbed Pearl and threw her across the room into the wall beside Rose. 

Rose resisted her urge to glare, and instead saluted her diamond as Pearl quickly stood. " **Thank you, my Diamond. I am honoured.** " Turning to the door, Rose nodded at Pearl, who was staring at her in shock and amazement. " **Come along, Pearl.** " 

 

Pearl nervously followed Rose Quartz out through the airlock towards the waiting ship. Rushing forwards, she opened the doors and kneeled, head bowed as she waited for her new owner to enter before following. 

" **Okay, now, let's see if I can get this thing back to the surface without crashing...** " Rose muttered. Pausing, she turned towards Pearl. " **Well, unless you can fly one of these?** " 

 

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 **_Earth._ **  

 **_Europe._ **  

 **_6XXX Years Ago._ **  

 

" **And the rest, you already know.** " Pearl sighed. " **So, to answer your question: she called me a reject, because that's what I am.** " 

" **Pearl, no.** " Rose started to protest. 

" **Yes, I am. I was made under a false assumption, to the wrong specifications. Hell! I was actually supposed to be** ** _much_** **shorter than a standard pearl. So that when I stood beside Pink Diamond, I would make her seem larger, more inspiring, intimidating, imposing by comparison** **.** **But, I'm slightly taller than standard, so I couldn't even get** ** _that_** **right.** " she huffed. 

Rose spluttered. " **Pearl, that's not your fault...** " 

" **It doesn't matter whose fault it is, Rose. The fact remains: I was made to the wrong specifications, for the wrong Diamond, and the wrong court. My colour, my height, my gem placement... Everything about me is a mistake.** " Pearl hugged herself sadly. 

" **Pearl...** " Rose moved forward and hugged Pearl. " **You are so much more than that. I refuse to accept that you're anything but perfect. Because you are the best damned Pearl that anybody could have as a friend.** " 

Pearl briefly tensed up at the contact, but relaxed at Roses' words. " **And you are still the strangest Quartz I have** ** _ever_** **met.** " 

" **That's fair.** " Rose grinned. 

" **...and the nicest...** " Pearl added, blushing as she tentatively hugged Rose back. 


	4. Owner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pearl tries an experiment.

**_Earth._ **  

 **_Delmava_ ** **_._ **  

 **_Beach City._ **  

 **_20XXad._ **  

 

" **Okay Steven. Now, today, we're going to be continuing with multiplication** **.** " 

Steven nodded and held his green crayon, his legs kicking up behind him as he lay on his stomach, a pillow under him to protect his gem from the concrete underneath. " **Okay Pearl.** " 

Pearl paused and glanced over as a car pulled into the car wash. 

Nearby, Greg looked over and stood up from his deck chair. " **Pearl, c** **an you watch him for a few minutes?** " 

Pearl rolled her eyes. " **Yes, I can look after a small adorable child for a short amount of time without parental supervision.** " 

Greg finger-gunned at her nervously and walked around the corner. 

Shaking her head, Pearl grunted with disgust. " **Ugh. Where were we? Ah yes. Let's learn to count by threes.** " She leaned forwards and started explaining to the ever-curious boy. 

 

" **And free times twelve is... uh...** " he paused. " **OH!** **Firty** **-six!** " 

Pearl raised an eyebrow. " **Well, we'll have to work on your pronunciation, but yes. The answer is thirty-six. Start with your tongue behind your front teeth. Th-** **ree** **. Th-** **irty** **-six.** " she demonstrated. 

" **Th-** **th** **-** **three. Th-Thirty-six.** " Steven repeated, glancing down as if to check that his tongue was in the correct spot. 

" **Well done!** " Pearl clapped, as Steven grinned happily. 

Pearl smiled and took the sheet. " **Well, that's the threes done then. Just remember the repeating pattern: three, six, nine, two, five, eight, one, four, seven, zero. This also applies to larger numbers, including multiples of ten by adding a zero to the end, and hundreds with two zeros. Like, say... three times forty?** " she looked at him with a small smile. 

Steven blinked back at her. " **Uhhhhh** **...** " He counted briefly on his fingers, face scrunched in concentration. " **Three, six, nine, twelve... so... one hundred and... twenty?** " he glanced up hesitantly. 

Pearl grinned and tapped his nose. " **You are so smart.** " 

Steven giggled. " **Yesss** **!** " he squealed, rolling over to kick his legs up. 

 

Pearl watched as another car pulled up. " **Looks like we have some more time...** " She rubbed her nose thoughtfully. ' _I guess I could check and see..._ ' She nodded decisively. " **Steven?** " 

" **Yeah, Pearl?** " he smiled up at her. 

" **How about we move onto some vocabulary now?** " Pearl pulled out a fresh sheet of paper and placed it in front of him. " **I'll say a letter, and you write it down, okay? When we've made a new word, I'll explain it for you. Words you already know, I'll just say, and you can see how well you can spell them.** " 

Steven nodded and rolled back over. " **Okay.** " He selected a new crayon, dark blue this time, and readied it, looking up at her expectantly. 

 

" **Right. The first letter is a capital '** I **'. You** ** _do_** **remember the difference between** **little** **and big letters, yes?** " 

Steven nodded and scribbled a careful I on the page. " **Yep.** " 

Pearl nodded. " **Good. Next letter, after a space, is a new word, which starts with a small '** r **'.** " 

Steven wrote a wobbly letter and waited patiently. 

" **Next is an '** e **'. Then a '** l **', and another '** e **'. Now, we add an '** a **'. Good.** " She briefly paused as he wrote each letter. " **Now an '** s **'. Remember which way that goes?** "  

Steven thought for a moment. " **Yeah.** " He quickly drew the double curves. 

Glancing at the page, Pearl gave a quick nod. " **Y** **es. Last letter is another '** e **'.** " 

Steven wrote it and looked at the page. " **re...lee...see?** " 

Pearl smiled. " **Release. It means... to let go, to set something free. Or, to allow something out. Like, say, the** **release** **of a movie that you like.** " 

" **Release.** " Steven nodded.

 

Pearl smiled. " **Okay, new word, so let's write that underneath what you already have. This one only has three** **letters;** **the first letter is '** y **'. Then '** o **' and finally '** u **'.** " 

Steven scribbled them down. " **I know this one!** **That word is '** you **'.** " 

Pearl clapped. " **Yes!** **Maybe** **you can spell the next two words by yourself, mister smart guy. They are '** from **' and** **'** my **'** **.** " 

Steven frowned. " **Uhh** **... how do I do little** **eff's** **again?** " 

Pearl reached out and traced the letter on the back of his left hand with her finger. Steven copied it as best he could, finishing both words with only the smallest wobbles. " **Good job. The next word is a big one, but we'll take it slowly, okay?** " 

She waited for his nod. " **Good. The first letter is '** p **'.** " 

Steven giggled. " **That's what Amethyst calls you.** " 

Pearl rolled her eyes. " **Despite my best efforts to** **dissuade** **her... But I've** **certainly** **been called worse things.** " 

 

Pearl watched as he wrote it down. It looked more to her like a capital letter, but without guidelines to help him, she decided to let it slide this time. " **Okay, next two letters are going to be '** r **' and '** e **'. You'll find a lot of words have those two somewhere in various combinations, so you may as well get used to writing them now.** " 

Steven nodded as he scribbled them down, even though he barely understood half of what she had said. " **Okay, next letters?** " 

" **Okay, a '** v **', then a little '** i **', and a combination that's fairly common: '** o **', '** u **' and '** s **'.** " 

Steven whispered under his breath as he wrote each letter down. 

Pearl nodded. " **Now, that word is '** previous **'. It means a few things, but in this context, it means the same as before or earlier. For** **example,** **your father's previous... job, I suppose, for lack of a better word... was a musician, but now he runs this car wash.** " 

Steven examined it thoughtfully. " **Okay. Pre-vi-us. Previous. New word?** " 

Pearl nodded. " **New word. It begins with '** o **'** " 

 

Steven drew a quick circle and added a smiley face inside with a giggle. 

Pearl held back a chuckle. " **Very cute. I suppose a 'q' would have** **its** **tongue sticking out?** " 

Steven's eyes lit up. " **I didn't think of that!** " 

Pearl giggled and tapped the page. " **Let's finish this first. Then you can see how many goofy** **letters** **you can drew. The next letter is 'r',** **followed** **by a 'd', and once again 'e' and 'r'.** " 

Steven finished the word and read it out. " **Order. Like... out of** **order** **? Things not working?** " 

Pearl nodded. " **Yes. But, it can also mean a collection of things, like numbers. Or perhaps when things are tidy, so basically whenever Amethyst isn't around...** " 

" **She's so cool!** " Steven grinned. 

" **But so messy!** " Pearl grinned back. " **Anyway, in this context, order means... a command, an instruction, or a request. Like when you go to the fry shop, you order a meal. Or your father might order a pizza instead.** " 

Steven sighed. " **I want fry bits on pizza, but dad says that they won't do that...** " 

" **Well, the last time I checked, those two stores didn't seem very co-operative. Besides, I'm fairly sure that you and Amethyst might be the only ones interested in eating that particular combination.** " 

" **Awww** **...** " 

 

Pearl shook her head slowly. " **The next word is an easy one. Write 'and'.** " 

Steven scribbled for a moment and then looked up. " **Pearl, I need a new page.** " Steven showed her the sheet, and Pearl nodded, summoning a new page and placing the first one aside. 

" **I think we're about halfway through now. Let's continue. First letter is '** a **', then we have two '** l **'s'. End it with '** o **' and '** w **'.** " 

Steven quickly wrote it down but paused for a moment before gasping and drawing the final letter. " **I almost didn't remember how to do it...** " he admitted sheepishly. 

Pearl smiled. " **That's okay, you got it right. That's good. This word is '** allow **'** **. It means to let something happen. For example, maybe one day, your father will** ** _allow_** **you to stay up past your bedtime and eat cake for breakfast.** " 

Steven grinned. " **That would be awesome!** " 

Pearl smirked. " **Oh, but it's a big responsibility. You have to make sure you don't over-sleep the next morning and miss out on anything important; or make yourself sick from eating too much sugar.** " 

Steven frowned. "I **guess...** " 

 

" **The next word is '** you **'. Then we have a slightly tricky word. You see, there are three words that all sound the same, but have different meanings and spellings. There's 'too' as in also, spelt with two 'o's, as well as 'two' which is of course, the number after one which has a 'w'. Which one is being used is a matter of context, which can confuse even adults, so don't worry too much if you get the wrong one. Or should that be two?** " Pearl grinned at her small joke, even if she was certain that it went over the boys' head. " **The one we're using here is '** to **', spelt with a single 'o'** " Pearl nodded as Steven wrote it down. 

Steven shook his head with confusion. " **Pearl, why is there so many** **to's** **?** " 

" **Well, the** **English** **language is a combination of several** **different languages** **. Celtic,** **Latin** **,** **German** **,** **French** **,** **Norse** **, and** **Saxon** **for starters, but there are many other words, called loan words, that were borrowed from other languages. It can be a difficult language to learn as a result. Having so many origins can make things complicated, especially as words can change their meanings over time...** " 

Steven sighed. " **Oh** **...** " 

Pearl patted his head. " **Don't worry, we only have two more words left. One is a big word though. It starts with an '** f **'.** " 

 

" **Okay, what's next?** " 

Pearl smiled. " **Next is '** o **', '** r **', and '** b **'.** " She paused for him. " **Then there's '** i **', two '** d **'s, an '** e **' and finally '** n **'.** " 

Steven looked up at her. " **That** ** _is_** **a big word! What does it mean?** " 

Pearl sighed. " **Forbidden is the opposite of allow. It means that you can't do something, because someone says you can't, and you'll get into a lot of trouble if you do it.** " 

" **That doesn't sound like fun...** " Steven sighed. 

Pearl looked away sadly. " **Yeah, it** ** _really_** **isn't...** " 

" **What's** **the next word?** " 

 

" **This is** **the** **final word. It starts with an '** e **', then '** v **' and another '** e **'. Finally, we have '** n **', '** t **' and '** s **'.** " 

Steven wrote this down. " **Ev** **-vents?** " 

" **Events. Things that can happen, will happen or have happened. Usually important things are called events, like concerts and festivals.** " 

" **Now** ** _that_** **sounds like fun!** " Steven grinned. 

Pearl shrugged. " **Yes, usually. Sometimes though, an event can be a bad thing, full of chaos. But an event can be a wedding, or a crazy party, or Amethyst actually cleaning her room. Which believe me, is at** ** _least_** **a once in a millennium event.** " she huffed. " **Anyway, that's all the words, for today. Now, can you read them all out for me?** " She placed the first sheet of paper beside the second. 

Steven put his crayon away carefully into its box before he sat up and held his finger to the pages, tapping each word as he went. " **Okay. It says '** ** _I release you from my previous order and allow you to speak of forbidden events._** **'** " he finished, smiling happily. 

 

After a moment, Pearl sighed. " **I guess that answers that.** " 

Steven climbed into her lap. " **Did I do it wrong? You seem sad...** " 

Pearl gave him a hug. " **No sweetie, you read that wonderfully. I just...** " she sighed and shook her head. " **Nevermind** **.** " She collected the used sheets of paper and stored them inside her gem. Standing up, she held Steven close. " **You did very well. I didn't see a single backward letter this time. You deserve a reward. Why don't I take you to get a Cookie Cat?** " 

Steven's eyes lit up, shining with stars. " **Cookie Cat! Yes please, Pearl!** " 

Pearl smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek. " **So sweet and polite.** " 

Steven giggled as they walked towards the boardwalk, pausing briefly to get some money from Greg and put Steven's crayon box inside the van. 

Pearl lapsed into silence as they walked. ' _I guess he's really not Rose. So, does that mean I truly no longer have an owner_ _?_ ' She glanced aside at Steven, who was grinning adorably in anticipation of his favourite treat. ' _I guess I can_ _learn_ _to live with that._ ' she smiled at him, pushing the door open as they entered the store and watching as Steven jumped down to run for the ice-cream freezer. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you wondering, Pearl can't just write the words down and have Steven read them out. The Gag Order doesn't work like that. (in my headcanon, anyway...)
> 
> It's possible this entire story will be overturned by the next two episodes in a couple of days. Which is why I decided to finish it up now, just so that I'm not tempted to rewrite it with new information.
> 
>  
> 
> Okay, this is all I really have planned for this.  
> Although, to be honest, I only actually planned to write the first chapter. You guys are just so damned inspiring!


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